Toni Sittoni

Advisor on development communications and knowledge management and Phd research scholar, Kenya. Advisor on international development communications and inclusive knowledge societies, with extensive African experience and a PhD focus on decolonising knowledge.

An old African adage states, ”when an elder dies, a library burns to the ground”. My understanding of this saying is that an ‘elder’ encompasses individuals engaged in producing, processing, and sharing knowledge crucial for advancing a community’s goals. You will find these ‘elders’ occupied in diverse vocations including farmers, pastoralists, artisans, educators, religious leaders, healthcare professionals, traditional healers, scientists, journalists, and other walks of life. They serve as repositories of history, wisdom, and cultural insights, functioning as both custodians of societal values and transmitters of practical knowledge to future generations. Despite their invaluable contributions, a pressing challenge persists: how can these ‘elders’ be empowered to generate more solutions to address Africa’s development needs? Consider the stark reality that Africa produces only one percent of global scientific knowledge, while the flow of innovations and knowledge products primarily moves from the global north to south. Furthermore, African indigenous knowledge and heritage are rapidly eroding, to the detriment of succeeding generations. As the world region with the fastest-growing population, Africa’s new crop of ‘elders’ must be empowered to tell their own stories, generate their own knowledge, and be free to decide their own destiny. I propose some priority strategies for Africa to build a resilient and inclusive knowledge society that empowers individuals and communities to have impact at home and globally. First, investing in education is paramount to nurturing a generation capable of articulating indigenous narratives and contributing to knowledge production. Second, enhancing access to technology and infrastructure, including internet connectivity and digital platforms, can democratize information access and amplify African voices on the global stage. Third, promoting media diversity and content creation, with a focus on African perspectives, is essential to counterbalancing external narratives and allowing Africans to shape their media landscape authentically. Additionally, fostering research and innovation tailored to local challenges and opportunities, and pertinent to African contexts, is crucial. Addressing inequalities that hinder sustainable development is also imperative for promoting social and economic inclusion. Lastly, celebrating African voices, success stories, and role models can inspire future generations and challenge prevailing stereotypes about the continent. By adopting these strategies, perhaps an ‘elder’s’ legacy can endure indefinitely, ensuring the preservation and proliferation of Africa’s rich tapestry of knowledge and wisdom.

Keywords: knowledge society; African narratives; knowledge production; knowledge creation; indigenous knowledge